Diego El Cigala is, quite simply, the most exciting and innovative flamenco singer in the world today. Passionate, profound, and immensely proud of his Spanish Romani heritage, El Cigala has been called “the Sinatra of flamenco.”

His earthy, exultant, and richly emotive voice marks him as one of the great singers of the last century. El Cigala’s various collaborations with world-renowned artists have earned him a reputation for seamlessly blending bolero, tango, son cubano, and Afro-Caribbean jazz into his signature musical style.

“He radiates a magnetic mix of winking charm and unpredictable vitriol reminiscent of a singer from an entirely different milieu.” — The New York Times

It’s National See-a-Show Day! spotlights the musical and lyrical prowess of Jack and Benny Lipson aka jackbenny, Los Angeles-native twin composers, songsters, and multi-instrumentalists who inject musical theater storytelling into the gamut of artistic styles. Heralded as “a testament to their generation,” their progressive and fresh harmonic language informed by jazz and classical roots complements their progressive, savvy lyrics that explore queer identity, consensual conduct, healthcare bureaucracy, and myriad other contemporary social/cultural phenomena. In two acts of iconically provocative originals served with a healthy heaping of sibling shtick, jackbenny guides audiences on a candid tour through the fragile, well-curated millennial mind.

After years of studying, performing, and writing a wide range of music separately, Jack and Benny Lipson united to birth the award-winning project jackbenny. They shared their debut show in 2016 with musician-comedian Reggie Watts, and have since played their "sensational, clever and astute" originals in Los Angeles (in residency at the Lyric Hyperion Theatre), New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Sheridan, Wyoming, where they presented their “musicalette,” Miranda, Please! through the Wyoming Theater Festival—even in Falam, Myanmar. jackbenny serves as house band for both For Good: a monthly night of showtunes to save the world and Jonnie Reinhart’s A Queer Cabaret, where the Lipsons have collaborated with artists including Darren Criss and Michael Arden. Jack and Benny are developing Brainstorm, a three-character song cycle of their music.

The Havana Cuba All Stars are among their country’s greatest musicians. Mixing tantalizing rhythms and melodies - from cha cha, to rumba, to son cubano, to salsa - the All Stars are loved for their enthusiastic and energetically refreshing approach to this wide variety of Cuban beats. The group is inspired by and dedicated to promoting the entire tapestry of Cuban music through an innovative and contemporary lens.

In their upcoming “Asere” tour, the All Stars are joined by three of Cuba’s finest dancing couples. With the greatest dancers and musicians of Cuba working in tandem, the US encore of the Havana Cuba All Stars’ tour is certain to be a spirited spectacle of song and dance, exemplifying Cuba’s greatest musical traditions.

The festival features locally, nationally, and internationally recognized dancers and choreographers. Their work is frequently presented on stages around the world and seen in feature films, tv shows, music videos, and commercials.

Los Angeles Dance Festival brings these talented creators together at the Luckman Theater for three amazing days of extraordinary works.

Additional activities will take place on the Luckman Street of the Arts prior to each performance.